


Independence

by AsylumWritings



Category: Firefly
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-03
Updated: 2013-10-03
Packaged: 2018-06-05 05:21:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6691282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsylumWritings/pseuds/AsylumWritings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mal's sister, Allison, returns to Serenity after working on a dump of a planet. She finds that her feelings for Jayne still remain, and finally stands up to Mal about it. But things take a turn for the worse when Badger comes into the picture, taking something as insurance until Mal's debt is paid.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> Pinyin is used in this story. See the end of each chapter for translation.

_She thoroughly taught him that one cannot take pleasure without giving pleasure, and that every gesture, every caress, every touch, every glance, every last bit of the body has its secret, which brings happiness to the person who knows how to wake it._

_ Herman Hesse _

"Hey, xìng gǎn! Can we get a drink over here?"

I turned, picking up a tray. "Yǎnkàn. Be patient, boys." Taking the empty tray with me, I walked to the bar, where I placed it down and picked up another one with drinks on it. Then I took that one to the table of men who had called out to me.

"Here you go. Enjoy your Ng-Ka-Pei. Be good now." I placed a drink in front of each of them, skilfully dodging each hand that tried to touch me.

Suddenly the door burst open, and my older brother, Malcolm Reynolds, walked in with the crew of his spaceship, Serenity. There Kaylee, Wash, Zoe, two others that I did not recognise, and Jayne.

I walked over to them. "It's good to see you again, Lǎo dà gē. What brings you out to this moon?"

"Work, meimei. Just plain, boring work." Mal replied.

I nodded in reply, avoiding Jayne's gaze. Last time I had been on Serenity, Jayne and I had succumbed to one of humanity's shallowest and fundamental impulses. Needless to say, Mal wasn't entirely happy when he found out, and things didn't really end well between Jayne and me. Now I tried to avoid being alone with him, for the tension and lustful want between us was often overwhelming.

"Are you going to introduce me to your new friends?" I asked, trying not to let my voice give away how much I wanted Jayne again.

"Dahng ran. This is Simon Tam, and his sister, River. Simon, River, this is Alison, my meimei."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Simon held out his hand to me. It was a well-manicured hand, clearly looked after and worth a lot.

I nodded in reply. "Where are you heading? This is my last evening at this bar, then I'm moving on. Could I get a lift?"

"Sure. We are headed to Persephone. Will that do?"

"Yeah. I just want to get off this luh-suh planet." With that, I stood and walked to my room, pulling my luggage out from under my bed.

***

I stood on the walkway above the holding bay, watching as Kaylee and Jayne closed up. As I watched, I felt someone lightly touch my back. I turned, and found Mal standing there.

"Don't go down that road again, Allie. You know how hurt you were last time." He whispered, realising that I was looking at Jayne.

"Gwan nee tzi-jee duh shr. The only reason I broke it off with him was because you told me it was a bad idea. You never even told me why."

He sighed and shook his head. "He is jing-tzahng mei yong-duh, and not good enough for you. I wanted you to be able to break out of our type of life. He will drag you down, and you aren't able to make a good decision about these things yet."

I burst into tears and ran to my room. As I threw myself onto my bed, I heard shouting outside.

"Jing-tzahng mei yong-duh? Is that what you told her?" Jayne snapped.

"Nee boo go guh, nee hwun chiou! She deserves so much better than you. Before our parents died, she had so much potential. She was going to be a dancer. But then they died, and she followed me, because I am the only family she has. I have dragged her down enough, she doesn't need anyone else in her life to drag her down further."

"She made her decision, Mal. I didn't go to her, she came to me."

"Dāng xīn. I don't want you near her. Only talk to her if you have to. Don't touch her and don't you dare be alone with her."

"Kuh-ooh duh lao bao jurn." Jayne replied.

I waited for his footsteps to disappear, then climbed out of my room. Mal was still standing there.

"How much of that did you hear?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"All of it."

"I'm sorry, Allison. I had to."

I shook my head. "Did you ever think that maybe I chose this life? After mum and dad died, I was given the choice to either live in a boarding house, or go with you. I chose to go with you because I didn't belong in that society. My application to the Dance Academy had been denied, because I was born on the wrong side of the city. They didn't want lower-class girls like me, Mal."

His eyes grew wide in surprise. "Why didn't you tell me? I could have helped you. I could have found you a job and a place to stay."

"Chur ni-duh. You don't always know what's best for me. Let me make my own decisions for once. Do you want to know why I went to Jayne?"

He was silent a moment, but finally he nodded.

"Because he was the one who took care of me. When you picked me up last year after that guy attacked me, he was the one who sat with me in the medbay. I know you all think he is yu bun duh, but he cares about me, and he makes me laugh."

"I didn't realise how much you both care for each other. I just think you could do so much better."

"I'll be the judge of that." I pushed past him, and made my way to Jayne's room. I quietly opened the door, and climbed down the ladder.

He was lying on his front on top of the bed, taking apart one of his smaller guns. He didn't notice as I walked up and sat beside him. I reached out, and slid my hand over his, finally drawing his attention to me.

"You shouldn't be here, Allie. I don't want you to get in trouble with your brother." He whispered, pushing my hand away.

"Jien tah-duh guay! I just spent five minutes trying to convince him to let me be with you. Besides," I continued, slowly unbuttoning my tight red blouse, "you wouldn't make me leave when I have so much to give you. Especially when I brought you this." I pulled the bottle of Shimmerwine out from behind me, and handed it to him.

"Xìng gǎn tiānshǐ. Come here." He grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and pulled me onto the bed beside him. He kissed me hard, gruffly running his hands over my body.

I yanked his hands away from me. "Have you forgotten everything I taught you last time, zhàn shì?"

He shook his head, kissing my fingertips. I felt the blood rush into my cheeks at the tenderness of his touch. The rest of the crew thought he was violent, hot-headed and stupid, but to me, he was always kind and gentle.

Last time, he had started off so rough, but as I guided his hands, showing him every place on my body that made me feel good, his touch had grown softer.

"I missed you." I whispered, as he kissed my neck.

He gazed into my eyes, holding my whole soul and heart in his gaze. That was all it took to make my blood begin to pump through my body.

I threw him onto the ground, crawling onto him, and running my fingers over his lips. He was so rough around the edges, but soft and gentle in his heart, a trait I so admired in him.

"Promise me you won't let me go, zhàn shì." I looked down at him, at his brown eyes and short beard.

"Never. Not even when I die, for I will always be here." He touched the tip of his finger to my heart, then traced the curve of my breasts, then my hips, then my thighs. Then he yanked me up, so that my chest was level with his lips.

I gasped as he took me, slowly at first, then faster as he held my heart in his eyes, making me moan in pleasure.

_**Glossary (In order of usage)** _

_\- Xìng gǎn: sexy_

_\- Yǎnkàn: In a moment_

_\- Ng-Ka-Pei: an alcoholic drink_

_\- Lǎo dà gē: Big brother_

_\- Meimei: Little Sister_

_\- Dahng ran: Of course_

_\- Luh-suh: Garbage_

_\- Gwan nee tzi-jee duh shr: Mind your own business_

_\- Jing-tzahng mei yong-duh: Constantly useless_

_\- Nee boo go guh, nee hwun chiou: You don't deserve her, you fink_

_\- Dāng xīn: Be careful_

_\- Kuh-ooh duh lao bao jurn: Horrible old tyrant_

_\- Chur ni-duh: Screw you_

_\- Yu bun duh: Stupid_

_\- Jien tah-duh guay: Like hell_

_\- Tiānshǐ: Angel_

_\- Zhàn shì: Warrior_


	2. Changes

_I am not saying renounce sex, I am saying transform it. It need not remain just biological: bring some spirituality to it. While making love, meditate too. While making love, be prayerful. Love should not be just a physical act; pour your soul into it._

_ Osho _

I awoke, naked, under the sheets in Jayne's room. It was three months later, and we were due to land on Persephone in a few more hours. I was woken by shouting outside my room. It sounded like Zoe and Mal were arguing.

I got up, pulling on some clothes. I'd moved all my stuff in to that room, seeing as I was spending every night there.

"Tzuh muh luh?" I asked, when I had climbed out of the room, to where Zoe and Mal were arguing.

"We just got a message from Badger. He wants to speak with us when we get to Persephone. He's angry about something." Mal said.

"I think going is a bad idea, Captain." Zoe replied, her dark face even darker with the flush of her anger.

"Of course it is, but if we don't go, he'll get the Alliance on us. And I don't much fancy having to take my chances with those tyen-sah duh uh-muo."

I was silent.

"Can I come?" I asked, finally.

Mal nodded, and I walked away.

I made my way to Inara's shuttle, rapping lightly on her door. She came out, and allowed me inside.

"I'm glad you came." She sat me down, and ran her brush through my hair. Every week, I came to her shuttle, and she would brush my hair and tell me stories of all the places she had been, and the men she had been with.

"There's something different about you this week." She said, pulling my hair up into a bun.

"Really? What do you mean?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but you seem to be happier, smiling more often. And… forgive me if I offend you, but have you put on some weight?"

I gasped, as I realised something. "You don't think I could be…"

She crouched in front of me, taking my hands in hers. "When was the last time you bled?"

I shook my head. "I don't remember, but not for a while. Oh… What will Jayne say? What will Mal say? I can't stop it, or get rid of it. Mal may have abandoned our family's religion, but I never did." Tears were beginning to flow down my cheeks.

"Hush, hush. I will be here to help you. To avoid a situation, don't tell Jayne or Mal until this trouble with Badger has been dealt with. They have enough on their minds right now."

"Thank you." I whispered, hugging her. Then I left, walking to the dining hall, where I found Jayne sharpening his knife. I stopped suddenly, before turning and walking back out.

"Tiānshǐ?" He called, coming up behind me, and placing a hand on my arm.

I turned to face him, biting my lip. It was going to be so hard to keep this from him for the next few days.

"Is something the matter? You saw me here and fled almost as fast as your legs could carry you. Aiya Huaile, I can tell."

I shook my head. "No. I just forgot that I wanted to get my book. That's all, I promise. You know I wouldn't lie to you." I lightly kissed his cheek and allowed him to drag me to the table to sit beside him.

He continued to sharpen his knife, but I stopped him.

"You're doing it wrong." I whispered, taking the knife and the sharpener. "If you continue that way, you'll wear the knife out much faster. You want the sharpener flat against the knife, not on an angle. It'll be sharper and better for slicing."

He grinned, "I knew there was a reason I liked you."

"Sheh-sheh, zhàn shì." I replied sarcastically, handing him back the knife.

"I like you for more reasons than that." He wrapped an arm around me, pulling me close beside him.

"Well I am glad of that. I wouldn't want our relationship to be based on how sharp I can keep your knife."

He grinned and kissed me, softly. We were interrupted by the sound of someone retching in the doorway. I looked up and found Mal standing there, pretending to vomit.

"Lǎo dà gē, stop your fussing. What is your problem with this?" I snapped, suddenly angry.

"It's bad enough knowing that Jayne has his way with my meimei every night, but I don't want to have to see you two kissing all the time."

I looked at Jayne for help, but he shrugged. So I stood and left the room, storming my way to the holding bay, where I found Kaylee and River chasing each other round and round the walkways.

I felt Mal sit down beside me, and he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"It's been three months, Mal. You said you wouldn't interfere any longer. You gave me your word. Yet every time I kiss him, you're always there, trying to parent me."

"I'm sorry…"

"Tíng zhǐ. I don't want to hear it any more. Save your excuses for someone who cares." I pulled his arm off me, and shuffled away a little.

"You're getting chubby, meimei. Maybe lay off the Ng-Ka-Pei for a while."

"Captain! We are entering Persephone's atmosphere in 5 minutes." Wash's voice came over the intercom, and Mal walked away.

I walked to one of the living areas and strapped myself in a seat between Kaylee and River. Persephone is notorious for its rough weather, so landing is always an achievement. Jayne walked in, and stopped dead, clearly upset that I didn't save a seat beside me. He sat down and strapped himself down into a chair beside Simon, basically across from me. I tried not to see the disappointment and confusion in his face, but it was like a shining beacon, calling me to face up to him.

After a few minutes of bumping and bouncing, we landed softly on the dock. I sighed in relief, unconsciously resting my hand on my tummy.

Mal came running down, collecting both Jayne and I. We made our way through the streets of the lower class area of Persephone, to an industrial style area of shipping containers.

We were greeted by two of Badger's men. They were big and burly, their hands constantly on their guns.

"Tíng zhǐ. Mr Badger would like this visit to be a civil one, so you will be searched, and all guns will be taken from you. They will be returned when you leave."

I saw Jayne tense out of the corner of my eye. So I placed my hand on his arm to calm him. When he looked at me, I shook my head, and he nodded, handing over his guns.

Finally, we were allowed inside. Badger was seated behind his desk, his hands resting gently on his lap.

"Well, 'allo Allison, it's good to see you again." He said, spotting me behind Zoe, who moved out of the way. "It's been too long."

"I wish I could say the same about you, bái chī." I replied, before cursing myself for getting so angry, and allowing my hormones to take control.

"Captain Reynolds, your meimei is still so feisty. Oh," He hesitated for a moment when he saw the look on both Jayne and Mal's faces. "You don't know, do you? Oh, juh jen sh guh kwai luh duh jean jan. I could not have planned this better myself. But first, business. You owe me 10,000 credits. I will give you three months to get it… But, I want something as insurance, to ensure that I will get paid."

"Name it."

There was a moment's silence as Badger thought. "Allison."

I felt my mouth drop open.

"I don't think so." Mal snapped.

Badger grinned. "Oh, I do. See I know that there isn't anything that you care more about than your meimei, so I know you will pay me my money when it's due."

Mal nearly launched himself over the desk, but I stopped him.

"Lǎo dà gē, don't." I lightly kissed him on the cheek, then turned to Jayne.

"Don't do this, tiānshǐ." He whispered.

"I have to."

He nodded and ran a hand down my cheek. "I will get you out of this, I promise."

"I know. Wǒ ài qíng nǐ, zhàn shì." At this point I leant in and began to whisper in his ear. "Don't tell this to Mal. I'm pregnant." I kissed him lightly, then pulled away, smiling at his shocked face.

Then I gently pushed him towards the door.

"If we came back, and you have harmed one hair on my sister's head, I will kill you." Mal's voice was demanding and angry.

"I'd be more worried about what she might do to me. Would you like to know how we first met?"

"Chur ni-duh!" Jayne snapped at Badger, noticing the tears beginning to well up in my eyes.

"She was wandering the streets of Persephone, working as a jien huo. I took her in, taught her everything she knows, made her into a shàng liú qíngrén. Did you think she was a virgin, Jayne, the first time you took her, up there on Serenity?"

"Meimei? Is this true?" Mal asked.

I sank to the floor, the tears overflowing down my cheeks.

He hit me. "You stupid girl! Wuh de ma, our father was right!" He raised his arm to strike me again.

"No! You'll hurt my baby!" I shouted, without thinking.

There was silence, marred only by my quiet crying.

"You've turned into him." I whispered, lifting myself up to stand. "You told me that you would never strike me like him, but you did."

I allowed Badger to take my arm.

"Three months and counting." He said, leading me away.

_**Glossary (In order of usage)** _

_\- Tzuh muh luh: What's going on?_

_\- Tyen-sah duh uh-muo: Goddamn monsters_

_\- Aiya Huaile: Something is wrong_

_\- Sheh-sheh: Thank you_

_\- Tíng zhǐ: Stop_

_\- Bái chī: Idiot_

_\- Juh jen sh guh kwai luh duh jean jan: This is a happy development_

_\- Wǒ ài qíng nǐ: I love you_

_\- Jien huo: Cheap floozy_

_\- Shàng liú qíngrén: High class lover_

_\- Wuh de ma: Mother of God_


	3. Demons of the Past

_But when a woman decides to sleep with a man, there is no wall she will not scale, no fortress she will not destroy, no moral consideration she will not ignore at its very root: there is no God worth worrying about._

_ Gabriel García Márquez _

I stood in front of the mirror, six weeks later. I'd begun gaining weight, both my belly and my face growing rounder. It wasn't a huge difference, only those who knew I was pregnant would have noticed.

"Why that shiong-mung duh kwong-run?" Badger asked, referring to Jayne, "Was it his rogue charm?" I could see him standing in the doorway, slouching against the door frame.

"I fail to see how that is any of your business."

"Does he make you feel the way I did? Make you moan and whisper his name the way you always did with me?" He walked up behind me, running his hand up my back.

"Chur ni-duh!" I spun around, arm raised to hit him, but he caught my wrist and shoved me against the wall.

"You already did, sweetheart. Every night for three years."

His mouth was mere millimetres from mine, and it took every ounce of self-control I had not to do one of two things; kiss him or head-butt him. Until I slept with Jayne for the first time, the three years I had spent with Badger had been the best moments of my life. And no matter how much I loved Jayne now, there would always be a part of me that wanted Badger to touch me again, to make me feel the way he did every night, after business was done.

"Not anymore."

"There was a time when one word from me made you want and desire everything you knew I could give you." As he whispered, his lips grazed mine, making my body heat up. He took my chin in his hands, and gently turned my face to the side. I blushed, as he leaned in close.

"Maybe I still can." He slid his hand round my neck, and kissed me.

I closed my eyes, trying to take control of myself. Finally, I shoved him away.

He hit me, and I fell to the floor, banging my head on the dresser. I stayed there, my hand pressed to the fresh cut on my lip.

"Qíngrén, I'm sorry that I had to do that to you, but you need to be taught that you are not in charge."

"Nǐ yàn wù wǒ. Don't you ever touch me again!" I snapped, crawling away from him.

"Don't you tell me what to do!" He slapped me again, and pulled me up to stand. "I don't care if you are pregnant. If you do that, I will mar that pretty face and take your baby."

I burst into tears at the thought of something happening to my baby.

"Mr Badger, Captain Reynolds is here to see you." One of his men called through the door.

Badger sighed and walked out.

I collapsed onto the bed, my head in my hands. I hoped to God that Mal had managed to get the money. He still had six weeks, but I wasn't sure how much longer I could stand being around Badger without losing control of myself.

After a few moments, Badger came back in.

"Surprisingly, and unfortunately, your brother has managed to come up with the money." He gestured towards the hallway. "You are free to go."

I walked as fast as I could, down to where Mal, Zoe and Jayne were waiting. I stopped at the door as a sudden, sharp, jabbing pain ripped through my belly. I lurched forward, just as Jayne pulled me against him.

"What did he do to you?" Mal asked.

I was hesitant for a moment, until I saw Zoe nod kindly to me. "He tried to take advantage of me, and when I refused, he hit me."

"What?" Jayne was suddenly over the edge, and he whipped his gun out. There was a shot, and I felt him jerk. I turned and saw a small patch of blood spreading over his chest, just before he fell to the floor.

"Zoe, help me get him to the mule. We have about three minutes to get him back to Serenity."

I was gently moved aside as they lifted him up and carried him out to the quad bike. As we drove off, he opened his eyes, and looked at me. "If I don't make it, tiānshǐ, make sure that our baby knows that I will always love it."

I shook my head. "Tell it yourself. You are not going to die today, dong ma? I won't let you do that to me or the baby."

"Wǒ ài qíng nǐ." He whispered, as we pulled into Serenity's holding bay.

"I know." I got off, out of the way of Simon, as he ran up and helped Mal and Zoe get Jayne to the Medbay.

They were in there for three hours, trying to save my Jayne. As they worked, I paced back and forth in the lounge area, becoming increasingly agitated and fearful.

"Allison, you must calm down," Inara demanded, putting her hand on my arm, "You will make yourself very unwell. Simon is a great doctor, and I'm sure Jayne will be fine."

She made me sit down and handed me a mug of tea. "This will help you calm down."

I took small sips, and as I finished, Mal, Simon and Zoe came out. They were very quiet, and I was suddenly terrified. I stood, trying to ignore the feeling in my gut, and waited for them to tell me what was going on.

"He is going to be fine. We may have been able to save his legs, and he should wake up soon." Simon told me. "If you want to go in now, you can."

I nodded, and ran to the Medbay, where I found Jayne, quiet for once, upon the bed.

I sat in the chair beside him, and took his hand, watching as he slowly breathed, his chest rising and sinking in a nice rhythm.

After an hour or so, Jayne finally opened his eyes, taking a deep breath. He noticed me and looked over, smiling slightly.

"Hey, zhàn shì. How are you feeling?" I asked, squeezing his hand.

He moved a little, and winced. "Sore. How long was I out?"

"About four hours. I thought you were going to die."

He pressed my hand to his lips.

"I have to go now. Simon wants you to rest, so try and get some sleep. I'll come back later." I stood to leave.

"Bié lí kāi wǒ." He whispered, not letting go of my hand.

I sighed. "I'll be back soon, but I need to get something to eat. Wǒ ài qíng nǐ." I kissed him lightly, then walked out to the dining room, where everyone was just settling down to eat.

I silently sat down, picking up my spoon.

"Is he awake, meimei?" Mal asked.

I nodded, as I began to eat my soup. The silence at the table was slightly awkward, and I knew that Mal had told them.

"It's good to have you back, Allison." Inara gave everyone a sharp look, and they all began to eat. Within moments, the table was back to its loud state, and I quickly finished my soup before going back to Jayne.

He was still awake, watching one of Mr Universe's telecasts on a handheld telescreen.

I sat down beside him again, distracting him from his show. He turned it off, and reached for my hand.

"Is the baby alright?" He asked, kissing the tips of each of my fingers.

"Yeah. I had a bit of pain earlier, but other than that, it is absolutely fine. Fang-shin. Just focus on healing. And maybe focus on cooling down that hot head of yours."

He smiled, slightly, a sadness in his eyes. "Did you… did you really sleep with Badger for three years?"

I nodded, "I've done some things I regret, zhàn shì, just like everyone else. But that was a long time ago, before I met you. I haven't even thought about him since I met you. Even during the past six weeks, all I could think about was getting back to you. Wǒ ài qíng nǐ, Jayne, and only you."

He carefully sat up and pulled me closer. Then he kissed me hard. "Wǒ ài qíng nǐ, Allie."

After finally convincing him that the baby was fine, I managed to make him let me go to bed.

_**Glossary (In order of usage)** _

_\- Shiong-mung duh kwong-run: Violent lunatic_

_\- Qíngrén: Lover_

_\- Nǐ yàn wù wǒ: You disgust me_

_\- Tiānshǐ: Angel_

_\- Zhàn shì: Warrior_

_\- Bié lí kāi wǒ: Don't leave me_

_\- Fang-shin: Don't worry_


	4. Healing

_Anyone who is observant, who discovers the person they have always dreamed of, knows that sexual energy comes into play before sex even takes place. The greatest pleasure isn't sex, but the passion with which it is practiced. When the passion is intense, then sex joins in to complete the dance, but it is never the principal aim._

_ Paulo Coelho _

"Jayne!" I lurched out of our bedroom, blood all down my legs. I had woken up in a pool of my blood, that sharp jabbing pain ripping through my tummy. I finally made my way out, and collapsed to the floor. I was dizzy from a lack of blood.

"Tiānshǐ?" I felt Jayne lift me up into his arms. He began to run, carrying me to the medbay.

"The… the baby…" I whispered, my vision growing fuzzy.

"Shh. Don't try and speak. Simon!" He place me down on the medbay stretcher, and continued yelling for Simon, who turned up quickly.

"What's going on?" He asked, before seeing the blood all over me.

As he ran over, a darkness took me in its arms, and I slipped into unconsciousness.

I jerked awake. Both Mal and Simon were standing beside me, their faces blank.

"Where's Jayne?" I asked.

"He's in your room. You've been unconscious for 48 hours." Mal replied.

"The baby?" I frantically placed my hand on my tummy.

I saw the fleeting glance that Simon gave to my brother, and I burst into tears, realising that I'd lost my baby.

Mal sat down beside me, taking my hand. "Meimei, I'm sorry. There was nothing we could do."

"Once the miscarriage starts, there is nothing we can do to stop it. The only thing we could do was make sure that you weren't gonna get an infection."

I nodded, tears streaming down my cheeks. "I want to see Jayne, Lǎo dà gē. Please."

Mal nodded, and they both walked out. After a few minutes, Jayne came in, sliding the door shut behind him. He didn't face me for a moment.

"Jayne?" I whispered.

"Yeah." He turned and walked over, sitting beside me. The chair had been elevated to the same level as me, so he was right beside me.

"I'm so sorry. This is my fault." He said, taking my hand and squeezing it tightly. "You've been so stressed because of what happened on Persephone. If I hadn't been so hot-headed, none of this would have happened.

I shook my head, realising that he had been crying too. "No. Don't say that. This isn't anyone's fault. We can get through this, but we must be strong."

I kissed him, just gently, so that he knew that I still loved him.

"Zhàn shì, be my true zhàn shì now. Don't let this destroy you. And above all, please don't try to get back at Badger."

He rested his forehead against mine. "I won't, I promise."

When I woke up the next morning, back in my own bed, I found that Jayne was no longer with me. The area beside me on the bed was not warm, and I knew exactly where he had gone.

"No!" I leapt out of bed, quickly getting changed. Then I ran up to the entrance of the shuttle, only to find that it was gone. We had only just left Persephone a few hours before, so he would not have had far to go.

Finally I made my way up to the bridge, where Wash and Mal were talking.

"He's taken the shuttle." I interrupted.

Both of them spun around, clearly surprised that I was there.

"We know." Mal replied.

"He's going after Badger."

"Okay, we didn't know that. How fast can you get us back there?"

Wash shook his head. "Not fast enough. You will have to take Inara's shuttle to get there in time to stop him."

Mal took my hand, and we ran to the other shuttle, where Inara allowed us to fly back to Persephone.

When we finally got to Badger's, Jayne was nowhere to be seen.

We stood outside for a moment.

"Mal, I'm sorry. I didn't know that he would do this, I swear."

"Shh, Meimei. If you love him that much, then I have nothing more to say. And I will do whatever I can to get him back for you." He wrapped his arms around me.

"Will you look at this touching display, boys? It seems that Allison and her big brother are here to rescue her true love. Would you like to come this way? He's a bit… held up at the moment." I turned, and found Badger standing there.

We began to follow him, into his "office", as he called it.

"Captain, you will wait here. This does not concern you." Badger stated, gesturing to his men, who made sure that he did not follow us.

Mal looked at me angrily. I shook my head, and followed Badger down the hall to a lower floor, where Jayne was. Both of his wrists were chained to the wall, and he was hanging about a foot up in the air, his ankles chained to the floor. He appeared to be unconscious.

"Jayne?" I ran to him, pressing my hands against his cheeks. When I lifted his head up, he opened his eyes. "Are you alright?"

"I hate to disturb this truly touching reunion, but I think we need to come up with some sort of trade here. See I have your boyfriend chained up, and I'm not letting him go until you do something for me."

"Nǐ yàn wù wǒ, you bastard!" I snapped.

He grinned, "Don't you want to know what I will let your lover go for?"

I was silent for a moment. "I know exactly what you want." Then I turned to Jayne. "I'm so sorry, zhàn shì. But I have to."

He shook his head. "No, just go."

"I can't."

"Come, love." Badger grabbed my arm and pulled me away.

He threw me against the wall, sliding his hands down my back. As his lips touched mine, I lost control of my body, allowing him back into all the places he had explored, over and over.

"How long have you wanted to be near me, to be touched by me again?" He asked, spinning me so that I was facing the wall. He brushed my hair away from my neck, and kissed my shoulder.

I slid to the floor, pretending to turn around, but surreptitiously grabbing my knife out of my shoe. I twisted, sweeping his legs out from under him. As he fell to the floor, I pushed him up against the wall, my knife roughly digging into his neck.

"Don't you dare try and destroy my life. I may have loved you once, but not anymore. You can still do business with my brother, but if you ever try to separate Jayne and me again, I will kill you. Dong ma?"

When he hesitated, I pressed the knife harder against his neck, causing a single drop of blood to run down, along his skin.

He nodded carefully, so I pulled the keys out of his pocket and ran back to Jayne. I undid his hands first, and he dropped to the ground.

"Did you do it?" He asked.

"No. I told him that if he ever interfered with my life again, I would kill him. It was a bit over the top, but I'd had enough."

"Wǒ ài qíng nǐ."

I smiled, slightly. I was beginning to think that coming back to Serenity was a bad idea. People were getting hurt, and I knew that it was only going to be a matter of time before someone was dealt irreversible damage.

When we managed to get back to Serenity, I allowed Jayne to walk inside by himself, stopping on the dock with Mal.

"I'm going to stay here for a while, Mal." I shoved my hands in my pockets and watched people pass.

"Why?"

"I don't want to be under your wing anymore. I am my own person now, and I need to go out and face the world by myself. Please don't tell Jayne. I will send him a message later."

With that, I kissed him on the cheek and walked off, ready to start my new life as an independent woman.

_**Glossary (in order of usage)** _

_\- Tiānshǐ: Angel_

_\- Nǐ yàn wù wǒ: You disgust me_


End file.
